7 Common Diseases That Can Be Treated with Cannabis

Some people refer to marijuana as a God’s Plant and such a comparison doesn’t come out of the blue. Medical cannabis is used to treat some of the most severe diseases where conventional medical practices fail to succeed.

When we say ‘common diseases’ we often think of the flu, some seasonal allergies or other disorders that we may accept as part of life that, in most cases, can be cured with a quick fix. However, there are also other common illnesses that bring shivers down our spine by only thinking about them. They are much more aggressive and they can wreak havoc on both our body and mind.

As much as we should appreciate the progress in contemporary medical practices, we have to face the ugly truth: they don’t always work as desired – and even if they do, they often leave our systems ravaged by the aggressive treatment they involve. Fortunately, we can always ask Mother Nature for help. Let’s take a peek at 7 common diseases medical cannabis can cure.

1. Epilepsy

Cannabinoid compounds are working miracles against convulsions and there is empirical evidence in various cases of children who suffer from epilepsy. To keep it simple, cannabinoids keep neurons and synapses from getting too much excitement which is the main cause of seizures. For decades, patients who suffered from epilepsy were treated with prescription drugs and their effects were, least to say, disappointing. Not only does the medical cannabis ends seizure attacks within 30 seconds or so, but it also reduces their frequency, which makes the marijuana therapy super-effective.

2. Cancer

It’s a well-known fact that cannabis can help cancer patients deal with pain, nausea, and the lack of appetite after chemotherapy. Well, there is some pretty good news for those who look for alternatives to cure cancer, too. THC prevents tumor growth and kills cancer cells. CBD on the other hand is capable of ‘turning down’ the gene that is responsible for metastasis; in other words, it stops cancer from spreading to other organs when the tumor is aggressive.

Cannabis treatments can fight all different forms of cancer, including these most difficult to treat that rarely respond to conventional methods. Most importantly, marijuana doesn’t destroy the healthy cells. On the contrary, cannabis takes part in the process of neurogenesis, which means that it creates new cells in our systems.

3. Alzheimer’s Disease

According to the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease, THC has a positive effect on slowing the growth of beta-amyloid that is responsible for reducing the cognitive function of Alzheimer’s disease patients’ brains. Researchers observed that at the 6, 24, and 48-hour mark THC lowered beta-amyloid levels.

4. HIV/AIDS

A small study of 50 people who smoked cannabis showed that those patients experienced less neuropathic pain, which is a good news for starters. More importantly, another human study that involved 10 HIV-positive cannabis users brought scientists to a conclusion that their subjects stayed in a better mood, slept better, and experienced greater appetite.

5. Glaucoma

Optic nerves are harmed because of a reduced blood supply. The use of THC lowers both eye and blood pressure, which is helpful in treating glaucoma – one of the leading causes of blindness.

6. Menstrual cramps

Although menstrual cramps are not officially categorized as a disease, they are a huge pain in the neck of women who suffer from sickening pain during their period. Some women experienced less discomfort of period cramps while smoking marijuana. This phenomenon inspired Whoopie Goldberg so much that she recently established a medical cannabis company, Whoopi & Maya which specializes in selling marijuana-infused products for women.

7. Schizophrenia

Although an illness such as schizophrenia shouldn’t be accompanied by psychoactive substances that may produce some schizophrenic symptoms, it is the CBD that has been recently discovered to prevent this condition. CBD is a natural substitute for the omnipresent antipsychotic treatments. GW Pharmaceuticals, a company that prides itself in having the only license for growing cannabis in the United Kingdom, conducted a study, in which it dosed 20 patients with CBD and 19 subjects with amisulpride. While the results of both treatments appeared to be similar, the CBD group experienced fewer side effects than the other group.

As you can see, the cure for many common and dangerous diseases is much closer than you could expect – and most importantly, it’s given to you by Mother Earth herself.